One of my pet peeves with Toyotas is that they don't paint or sound deaden thoroughly from the factory. There are a few easy things you can do about this. One place they always skimp out is in the wheel wells. Jack up the car. Remove the wheels. Remove plastic trim pieces. Mask off all suspension and brake parts. Spray two coats of undercoating/sound deadener (shown in the picture, use whatever you like, thicker would be better). Put it all back together. Enjoy a quieter ride with less tire noise.
I've been meaning to do this but I wondered if it was worth the effort. I assume if you used something heavy duty it would help but I figured basic rubberized undercoating wouldn't be enough. How did it work for you?
^ Besides the aesthetic improvement of not seeing half-painted wheel wells any more, it really does help suppress some tire noise. For $10 (two cans), I think it's worth it. I'll bet there is a thicker product that would work even better; if anyone tries it, please post up.
f8l, let us know if you try it and if there is a discernable difference in sound. i would do this if it made a big difference.
It would be helpful if sound levels were measured before and after. Aren't there phone apps for that?
^ I doubt they are sensitive enough. Sorry but it's going to be a subjective result for me, at least.
yea.. having added noise from the stiffer suspension and slightly inflated over spec on the tires.. i can imagine this helping only a bit for me.. but definitely adds that aesthetic improvement.
I got two cans of the Eastwood stuff today. I'll do the front wheel wells with that product. More pics to come.
Is this stuff flexible enough to pull off in case you have to change a bulb in The fogs or turn signal? I wouldn't mind the sound deadening but not at the cost of not being able to pull the covers for simple bulb changes.
You wouldn't access any of those items from the wheel well. Any wires or holes/bolts should be masked off before spraying.
I pulled it apart installing my head lamps, it's a lot easier to access the fogs from the wheel wells. The plastic just bends back and you have easy access to all the stuff behind the bumper. But does the sound deadening stuff harden up? Or does it have some give?
I wouldn't spray the inside of the bumper (that serves very little purpose in terms of sound deadening), only the wheel wells. So there is no problem with wiring/foglights/headlights.
But you would need to be able to remove the inner fender to change the bulbs... how's that going to work? Post some pics when you are finished if you don't mind, please.
Yes, this is referenced on pages 413-418 in the 2012 Prius c owner's manual. Headlights aren't replaced through the wheel wells, but fog lights, front marker lights and turn signals are. But very interested in this sound deadening technique.
